He also spelt out the Christmas Day practice routine he went through every year to give him the edge over other kickers - a method followed by Wilkinson.

"I always reasoned that no-one else would be doing it so I would be getting an edge over my next opponent," explained Jenkins.

"When Mike Tyson was at his peak he used to run at four in the morning for that reason. No-one else did, so it must have given him an advantage.

"I'm sure it's likewise with Jonny. He's a fantastic player with a huge work ethic."

For the past four years, Jenkins has sat supreme at Test rugby's summit as the greatest points scorer the game has seen.

When he retired from the international arena last season, he did so with a remarkable 1090 points to his name - 1049 for Wales plus a further 41 for the British Lions.

Wilkinson still has some way to go to reach Jenkins' landmark, but he is steadily gaining ground, having scored 739 points - 704 from 46 Tests for England, plus 35 from three for the Lions.

And at just 24 he has plenty of time on his side, so Jenkins is no doubt his tally will be overtaken.

"Jonny is the best number 10 in the world - and he is going to be one of the greatest, if not the greatest fly-half in rugby history," said Jenkins.

"I'm very proud of my record because I was the first to 1,000 points and no-one can take that away from me.

"But records are there to be broken and, barring injury, Jonny is going to annihilate it.

"He's looking at 1,500 points easily and he could even go on to smash through 2,000.

"He could put the record out of sight for years to come. He's playing in a very good side with a lot of points there for the taking.

"I suppose a young New Zealander could come through, but once Jonny beats the record he will hold it for years and years."

The metronomic boot of Wilkinson is inevitably seen as his most prized asset, but Jenkins says the Newcastle Falcon has many more strings to his bow.

"The problem with being a good goal-kicker is that people tend to see you as just that," said Jenks.

"But Jonny has much more to his game. His defence is superb, he is so courageous in the tackle and he has worked hard on his options.

"He can also kick out of hand with either foot. His right is just as good as his left - and that two-footedness is one thing I regret I didn't do more work on."

On the subject of work, Wilkinson has been famously known to go out practising his kicking on Christmas Day.

Call it dedication. Call it obsession. Jenkins prefers to call it entirely normal because that's exactly what he has done on December 25 for the past 13 years.

"I still go out to kick on Christmas Day," he said. "I have simply worked extremely hard, just like Jonny has done.

"People think it just happens, the kicks go over, but it's nowhere near that simple.

"It's about fitness training and gym sessions and lots of hard work."

The Wilkinson factor is why Jenkins predicts England will reach a World Cup semi-final against France and "depending on which side of the bed the erratic French get out of" go on to face New Zealand in the final at Stadium Australia in Sydney.

"I wouldn't bet on which way that would go," he said.

"It would be so close. They are fantastic teams with great players."

One thing is more predictable. If England do win the tournament, it's a fair bet to say Wilkinson will have played a major part in it.